Are you planning to introduce 360-degree feedback in your organization?
Here’s a summary of the basics covered in the Panoramic Feedback Resource Kit.
1. Buy-in and leadership
If your C-suite aren’t convinced, no one else will be. Devote time to helping them understand the benefits.
As the pilot group, they can demonstrate that the feedback is useful to them personally and beneficial to the entire organization.
2. Clarity of purpose
Be clear about why 360 would be valuable in your setting.
Do you hope to grow the skills of the leadership team? Looking for better morale among those who work for and with them? Is higher productivity your aim? Do you want to position your organization as an employer of excellence? Do leaders need data that helps them benefit from coaching?
While these are all potential strengths of 360, clarity here will strengthen your design.
3. Well-designed process
Work with a 360 team to plan the stages in detail. Here are some of the questions you need to answer:
How will you assure confidentiality and security? Who will be assessed? How will you create your questionnaire? What will you communicate to subjects being assessed and to responders? What dates will work best for the 360, given holidays, work pressures, and environmental factors? Who will choose subjects and responders?
How will reports be distributed? Will coaching be available? To whom? Would aggregate data be useful for strategic planning?
4. Excellent questionnaire design
Use the organization’s mission, goals, and values as the basis for the questionnaire. Consider adapting one of our prepared questionnaires so it suits your organization. Make it as short as possible – aim for 35 questions. Encourage open-ended comments from responders.
To find out where the questionnaire needs to be tweaked, test it on volunteers representing the groups who will be responding.
5. Open communication
Make sure everyone knows about the rationale for the 360 process well ahead of time. Respond openly to concerns.
Design clear instructions for subjects and responders. Plan reminder emails to get everyone responding.
This is the kind of advance planning that will ensure a successful 360-degree feedback process.
